washington business
No , the pandemic did not “ change everything .” The primary workplace adaptations were an acceleration of trends already in play . Automation , remote work , a population and workplace shift to suburban and exurban communities all sped up over the past year . Changes that may otherwise have occurred over several years were embraced in months .
The result will expand opportunities and choices for many employers , workers , and consumers . It also leaves behind others who lack the skills or technology to take advantage of that expansion .
Let ’ s briefly examine a few of the adaptations most likely to stick . The word of the day is hybrid .
working from home
The most common response to “ stay home , stay healthy ” has been the shift to remote work . Research from the University of Chicago estimates that 22 % of all full post-pandemic workdays will be from home , up from 5 % pre-covid .
It won ’ t be all or nothing . Gardner sees a hybrid model for remote work , with people dividing the work week between home and office . Without the daily obligation to show up at the office , commutes become less onerous , allowing more people to move further away from the urban center , boosting suburban housing markets . The
with advances in ai and automation changing workforce requirements , training and education should also be an element in any equity initiative . downtown offices won ’ t disappear , he says , adding that with technology and fewer employees at any given time square footage per employee will increase , reversing a long-term trend .
automation
The second most common change reported in the AWB survey has been automation , reflecting a global trend of accelerated use of robotics , AI ( artificial intelligence ) technologies , and e-commerce during the pandemic . While the trends boost productivity , they add to the toll the virus has taken on employment opportunities for low-wage , less-skilled workers .
Anything automated during the pandemic is likely to stick , says Steve Lerch , executive director of the state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council , citing the capital investment made by business owners .
Every sector of the economy , from manufacturing to retail , from warehousing to hospitality , includes tasks that can be performed by machine .
“ The hotel world has seen a paradigm shift ,” Gardner says , citing one example . “ I see front-of-house basically going away ”, along with many jobs in food and beverage . “ A lot of those lower-income workers that were in those industries are going to have to retrain .”
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